The Director's License
by moonlitwanderer
Summary: "You know what, if I could go back in time, I would change the ending so that it would leave the viewers shocked and it would literally change history, I'm telling you!" Best friends Freya and Ernest stumble upon the TARDIS and Ernest is determined to change the ending of the Titanic- with disastrous consequences.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Freya and her best friend Ernest stumble across the TARDIS and Ernest is determined to change movies for the better, but with disastrous consequences._

_Also, spoilers for the end of Titanic but I'm sure you've seen it... Enjoy :)_

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"No! No no no! This is all wrong, can't you see?" I sighed and looked at Ernest Wells, my best friend. His facial expressions and large, violent gestures reflected perfectly the mood he was in- an annoying one. I sat back on the comfy sofa with the cushion in my arms and tears streaming down my face, glaring at him.

"Play it, Ernest. We're up to the best yet saddest part- the climax of the whole film!" I really wanted to see what happened- did Jack and Rose survive and live happily ever after? Or did they both die in the disaster? Either way, I wanted to know- it was just heart wrenching- and my stupid friend wouldn't play the film again.

"No! I can't continue Freya," he said, glancing sideways at my tear stained face. His shoulders slumped but he didn't give in. "It's wrong and so predictable- I could see what was going to happen thirty minutes into the film and for _Titanic_, that's not much. It's obvious- Jack's going to-"

I stuck my fingers in my ears and began singing loudly to block out his rants. "Nah nah naha na nah!" My word he could be annoying sometimes! We had been sitting on my sofa for the best part of three hours watching _Titanic_ and for most of it Ernest had been nodding and grunting like the apprentice director he was, analysing each part. Sometimes he'd go back and rewind to look in more detail at the scene and I didn't mind that. But now that it was the best part of the film- the deciding moment in which we discover the way things will turn out- he stops it and goes on a rant. I briefly took my fingers out of my ears but immediately reversed that action when I heard he was still going on and on. And on.

_And on. _

"Okay, you can stop now!" I shouted after about ten minutes. It was already getting late and I wanted to finish the movie before we had to return it to the rental store the next day. "I want to see the ending, okay?" He stopped talking. "Okay. Press play."

"I love you Jack," Rose said and a sombre mood sank onto the scene.

"No... don't you say your goodbyes, Rose. Don't you give up. Don't do it." I felt a sob rack through my body- was this the way it had to end? Next to me, Ernest tutted but he didn't pause it. I could tell what he was going to say, though. _It's so cheesy_.

He skipped a few minutes and I elbowed his ribs and grinned up at him. He smiled down at me and then looked back at the screen- just a few more minutes until the end of this three hour long film.

"Oh Jack." All will, hope and spirit left her as she stared at her lover's dead body. She looked at the life boat, which was further away, the voices fainter, then back at Jack. She was so weak and there was no pint living without him. Tears cascaded down my face and I hugged the already-sodden cushion tightly. This was not the ending I expected! They were both supposed to live happily ever after but then Jack, who hadn't even seen the world fully like he wanted to, had to go and die.

"I'll never let go, Jack," Rose whispered before releasing her grasp on his hand and watching him fall under the water to the ocean depths, joining the hundreds of others who had already died. Another loud sob racked my body as I saw that Rose took Jack's surname at the end. I was truly a mess when the credits rolled as my face was streaked with mascara, my eyes were puffed red like a baby panda and my black glasses were steamed up. Ernest, whose face was free from tear stains or any sort of sadness, took one look at me and laughed for several minutes.

"Your face is priceless!" he guffawed. "In all serious though it wasn't that sad and was so predictable. You know what, if I could go back in time, I would change the ending so that it would leave the viewers shocked and it would literally change history, I'm telling you!" I raised my eyebrows and nodded slowly- as if he could even make a film!

"Right," I yawned and stretched my arms, glancing out the corner of my eye at the clock. "Midnight! Oh my gosh, mum's going to kill me! Well, I suppose I should, erm, go. Er..." With a strange look on his face he gazed at me. "So, I'll get my stuff..."

"Yeah. Yes, sure. Definitely," he said, slightly distantly. I made my way to the door and slung my rucksack on my back. He twisted the white nob and the door swung open so I stepped out, shivering from the contrast in the temperature. Delicate snowflakes fell slowly to the concrete floor, flitting in the breeze on their way down; it was almost like a dance and I was entranced by their beautiful movements.

"Thanks Ernest," I smiled and went to leave, knowing I'd see him tomorrow anyway, but I felt his hand grab my hoodie and pull me back. "What, I err..." I asked confusedly whilst he gazed at me again – he'd never done this before. His delicate hands tilted my chin up and I looked into his eyes- they were a whirlpool of colour; blue mixed with grey and hazel, and a little bit of yellow and gold blended in too. His scruffy blonde hair fell over his face as he leaned in. _Wait- he was going to kiss me? _He was my best friend, not my boyfriend. I wasn't Rose and he wasn't Jack. I turned my cheek before he could kiss my lips. This was weird- I needed to get out of here.

"I, err, don't want to," I muttered as he pulled away and I stepped back. I already had a boyfriend from university- I didn't was to be double dating or whatever it was called.

"Of course, no. Matty, isn't he? Erm... Y-you will come back tomorrow, won't you?" He asked nervously but a look of hurt was spreading across his face and he couldn't control it. "I'm not annoying you, am I? I just want to get through all of these movies for the assessment."

"No, no, of course. I understand, Ernest – I've got my own studies to be doing as well, not that I don't- It doesn't matter." I had never been tongue-tied around my best friend before so I just walked off into the snowy surroundings.

"Twelve then?" he called as I plodded through the deep snow, my sky-blue wellies only just tall enough not to let any snow into them.

"Twelve," I confirmed but I never looked back to the yellow glow coming from his front door and his scruffy-haired silhouette.

As I made my way around the corner I saw something I didn't expect- a blue police box. But this was the year two thousand and thirteen, surely all of those were removed decades ago, yet one still remained. Looking back, I should have walked on and never taken notice of the strange box but I just had to investigate, didn't I? Even though I knocked lightly, powdery snow still fell from the sloped roof and onto my hair. I brushed it off gently, not wanting the cold substance to melt and make my hair wet.

"Hello?" I asked. There was no reply. Silence. I knocked three times. Silence again. "Is there anyone in there?" I asked, louder this time. It seemed there wasn't. I should have just walked away but curiousness took over me. The key for the lock was nowhere to be seen but I had a feeling I knew where a spare one might be. In university, I always kept the spare key on the frame above the door, away from prying eyes. After glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching, I stood on tiptoe and reached up, feeling along the wooden edge of the blue box. Sure enough, there was a small silver key there. I carefully stepped down and turned the key in the lock. It clicked open and the door swung back, an orange light emitting from inside. I looked back, knowing this could be illegal but who cares? They say you only live once, after all. Taking a deep breath I stepped from the freezing snow into the warm glow.

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_Curious! What will happen next? Thoughts? Thanks for reading! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: sorry about the delay but I've been really busy lately but hopefully updates will be more frequent in the future! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)**

What the hell was happening? My mind imploded with questions at the sight of this unfathomable machine. It was bigger on the inside! What the heck? My hands immediately shot up to my head and I let out a whimper- this was too much for me; I was just the girl from Liverpool whose best friend was obsessed with films. I was the girl who was always there but never noticed. I was the girl whose sole purpose was to find a way to eat as much as possible without putting on weight. That was just who I was. I wasn't a girl destined for greatness or massive boxes that are bigger on the inside.

"Excuse me, do you mind?" a southern female voice echoed from behind the main console. She stepped out revealing flame coloured hair the same shade as the box we were in. The strange woman wore a brown leather jacket and blue jeans and looked about ten years older than me. Her look was one of annoyance yet she didn't seem to realise that I'd just broken into her box.

"Donna! Don't be mean," I heard another voice, a male this time. The flame-haired woman (Donna, I presumed) stepped sideways to look at the man, revealing his skinny figure. The man, who was wearing a blue pin-striped suit, was taller than Donna and looked down upon her with slight scorn. On his feet were bright red converse which contrasted with his smart suit. I was mesmerised by his awesome dark hair and chocolate brown eyes which were framed by oblong spectacles.

"And how exactly has this girl got in here?" Donna asked the tall man. "The TARDIS is supposed to be blended in like – whatsit - a chameleon?" The man nodded and speedily took off his glasses, taking a few steps closer to me so that his face was inches from mine. I would say this man had no sense of personal space, but he sure looked and smelt good, so I wasn't complaining. His brown eyes looked deep into my grey ones, like he was studying my soul or something.

"Freya," I started as he quietly said my name. How did he know what I was called? We'd only just met and I had half a mind to walk out this unbelievable box and forget the whole incident.

"What?" I queried, needing to know more. "You're not a paedophile are you? Waiting for me to step into your box of tricks? I want no part in this twisted game you're playing, if that's the case. Your good looks may take you so far, or your chameleon thingy, but one day-"

"Freya-" the man mumbled but I carried on.

"-you'll have to face up to your foolish existence because one day someone's going to-"

"Freya..." I kept going, wanting to shame this weird man.

"-take you to court about your blue box that's standing on their property and your woman who you've captured and brainwashed. I don't know what's wrong with you, but-"

"FREYA!" I stopped talking immediately as he shouted my name. Donna chuckled from further away. "Thank you. I know how you got in here and know all about your life- how you think your best friend might fancy you but you've already got a boyfriend from university who's quite fit in your opinion, almost as hot as you think I am and you just want to stay friends with him, though you have kissed once or twice, just to try..." he paused and looked at me and I stared back at him not knowing what to say. He knew all this? "Do you want me to continue?" I glanced at Donna then shook my head, knowing all my few remaining secrets would be spilled if I let him carry on.

After a minute I spoke up, wanting answers. "If you don't want me to report you to the police for trespassing private property, you'd better answer some questions." I smirked, liking the superior position I was in, yet hating myself for being in it. "Firstly, who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Donna," he replied smoothly as if he answered the question all the time.

"Just 'the Doctor'?" I asked curiously.

"Just 'the Doctor'," he confirmed cheerily, a grin spreading across his face. I relaxed a bit.

"What do you do in this box, then?" I asked tentatively, not sure if I wanted to know.

"We... well..." he glanced at Donna and she nodded discreetly at him. "We travel through time and space." I held my breath. They travel through time and space? Okay, I'll believe them...

"Okay," I said, a lot less confidently that I'd planned. "Can you prove it? Can you take me somewhere?"

The Doctor nodded. "Where do you want to go?" It took me a while to think. It's like when you find yourself on Google Earth after a long and tedious surfing session and it asks you where you want to go. Anywhere in the whole world and you go straight to your own house; the place you see every day. Then it's your best friend's house and then, and only then, do you go to the more interesting places, like the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids of Giza or the Statue of Liberty. It was like that only 3D- anywhere you've ever wanted to go and I didn't want to go home.

"I'd like to visit Hitler, actually. Germany 1941," I said slowly and the Doctor looked a bit confused. "Do you have a custard pie as well?" He laughed and seemed to tag onto what I was getting at. He flicked a few switches and turn dials on the main console before the whole machine started to vibrate and then it kicked into action. The tube up the middle made a thrumming noise and suddenly there was a big crash and sparks flew out of the console.

"Did I mention that you should hold on tight? Allons-y!" he shouted above the crashes and clangs. I laughed before I was violently flung to the floor by a sudden reflex and quickly stood up and grabbed onto a cold metal railing behind me. All of a sudden it was over and we all regained my balance.

"Here's your pie," Donna said, coming out from the archway behind the console and handing me a perfect custard pie."

"I estimate you have around twelve seconds to splat the pie before Hitler realises you are there, then you have to run as quick as possible back to us before he does something reckless like he always does, like shoot you. Don't die, but most importantly, have fun- this may be your only chance to put a pie in Adolf Hitler's face." I laughed at the absurdity of his comment and stepped out of the doors.

At first I thought I was alone in the huge conference hall when a tall-ish man with a small black moustache stepped in. He must be Hitler. The Doctor stepped out of the door behind me and waved for me to splat him before he noticed. I stepped forward tentatively and held the pie in front of his face. Before Hitler had time to react, my hand surged forward and I smothered his face in cream and pie. Quickly, I ran back towards the blue box, only looking back one before the Doctor closed the door; a look of complete shock spread across Adolf Hitler's face as he realised he had been humiliated. I smiled widely before his shock turned to rage and ran inside as soon as he whipped out a gun.

Inside I found Donna and the Doctor literally on the floor laughing at the hilarious prank I'd just played. I couldn't help but laugh with them- I'd just shamed Hitler!

"You did well, Freya," the Doctor grinned. "A good choice, too. Most people pick a point in their families past lives or a massive moment in history to be part of but you just picked wonderfully. It's time to o home now, right?" The same rumbling, shaking, crashing, sparking, dangerous procedure repeated and I found myself having to say goodbye.

"Short but sweet, eh?" Donna said. "You did good, kid. Don't forget what you've done but do forget about us. Although it may be fun and games sometimes," she glanced at the Doctor who had a sad smile on his face. "You may get hurt and we couldn't live with that. I'm sorry but you've got to forget what happened and who we are. Thanks for the laugh, anyway." The Doctor smiled sadly, not truly saying goodbye but he saluted which made me feel honoured to be even a small part of this.

Turning, I fumbled with the handle before hearing the blue wooden door swing forwards in front of me to reveal my footprints still standing on the ground. I don't know why I expected them to be gone but I thought that box plays tricks with your mind. As soon as I'd taken one step onto Glaramore Road, one foot followed the other and quickly I was halfway towards my house. I didn't look back for a while, though if I had I wouldn't have seen the car speeding down the hill, its wheels and brakes locked from the ice, on a collision course for me.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait I've been really busy! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and although it doesn't have much Titanic or Doctor Who in it, just bear with me, there'll be some next time. Enjoy :)**

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All I remembered when I woke up was leaving Ernest's house and walking home, only to be hit by an out-of-control car which was only slowed down by me. I can remember the driver, a thickset man whose stubble was whitening, repeating the same words over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Then I must have blacked out because my memory stops there. According to my mum, I was whisked away by an ambulance and brought straight to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital where teams of doctors swarmed around me like ants, busying themselves on blood tests, CT scans, heart monitors and morphine. Mum said I looked like death itself and the amount of worried looks on the staff's faces made her sure I was going to die. "You were like a wildebeest being pecked at by vultures," she used to say. I always thought there was more to that story, that something else happened, and as I lay in blackness I tried to remember the events of before The Accident.

I lay in a coma for many weeks, spoken to, but not speaking back. I could hear every word that was said but couldn't reply. As the days passed I found it harder and harder to keep awake; sometimes I fell asleep when there was someone in the room talking to me, which I found the hardest to cope with. I felt like I let that person down by not listening to them and their speech on how I had to stay alive. However, no-one seemed to be able to tell me what happened before The Accident and it was annoying me that I couldn't remember.

The words 'little' and 'chat' should never be in the same sentence as they always escalate into weeping monologues. It seemed as if everyone's 'little chat' was the same. "You've got to stay with us, Freya. For me. Just do it for me." I've just popped in for a little chat as I was passing by. Oh look, these silly old chocolates, you might as well have them. My friend won't want these flowers so I supposed you could have them.

Also, it was like confession time and secrets spilled. I learned that my old friend Chelsea from secondary school liked Ernest which I was slightly surprised about, and felt strangely protective. I also found that two of my friends from university had got engaged and wanted me to be one of their bridesmaids but suspected it was just a perk of being in a coma; they'd not talked to me in a few months anyway. However, no secret or big surprise could stir me from the depths of my coma.

In all that time it was Ernest who visited the most often, and I always looked forward to when he would appear next. I could imagine his wide grin light up his face and reach his twinkling blue eyes after he'd told a joke. I would want to laugh and could feel it build inside me but I could move. However, the beeps of the heartbeat monitor increased and I knew he knew I was smiling inside. He told me he'd planned how to change the ending of the Titanic and would show me as soon as I woke up. He was always happy and cheerful and I could imagine him pacing up and down and bouncing about as he told stories of what he'd been up to. He'd talk to me like I was really there and having a conversation with him.

"Hey Freya, how are you doing? It's been about three weeks in case you'd forgotten and I'm doing fine thank you very much." My heart rate increased as I realised it was Ernest and I didn't know why. He paused for a second whilst he came to sit down by my bed.

"I went to Starbucks before now. A higher quality cup of coffee is better than the sludge and soggy sandwiches they serve here." I laughed inwardly. How like Ernest to be picky about things.

"Your dad's finally gone for a rest though he said he's fine. He really doesn't look it though so when he refused, I was prepared to bring in a shopping trolley to cart him out! You should see him though, Freya. He's a wreck but I think it'll be worth it when you finally wake up. We'll all be here, don't worry." I could sense him smiling and wanted to smile back, but my mouth just wouldn't move itself. He sat there for a while, half an hour or more, before he had to leave to go to college. My inward smile faded when I realised I was alone again.

I was lonely more on weekdays than weekends because everyone was work or college. Sometimes a nurse came in to wash me and I loved that because she would chat like there was everything to talk about; boy, she could talk for England. And it was always something new every day- what was on the news and the latest arrest of Lindsay Lohan. The best thing was that she'd sing while she worked. Her favourite band to sing would be Take That so I knew all of their songs back to front by the time it was over. The sound of her voice lifted my heart and I almost managed to smile. Almost.

I imagined her to have light brown hair tied in a scruffy bun and underneath her blue nurses overalls would be a white long sleeved top, the arms of which would have been pushed up. Her big brown eyes would sparkle and she would always wear blue nail polish. I always imagined her to be nicely plump but not too fat. I could picture this lovely nurse dancing around the room whilst getting on with work and she never dropped the optimistic attitude that I would wake up anytime soon. And her name was Sarah.

She never changed, not like my mum did. At the beginning of the coma, Mum was hopeful and encouraging; she used to hold my hand and say she was praying for me and crack jokes. But she changed as it went by- talking as if I wasn't there or even alive and it saddened me to think even my mum had given up hope on me.

Dad read to me at night-time and kissed my head then sat there until morning, never wavering from his position and always, always keeping watch, safeguarding his 'beautiful angel' or' sweet poppet'. He was always there, never crying or showing weakness and had faith and hope that I would eventually wake up.

I could hear raindrops pattering on the window outside as Ernest walked in, not his usual bubbly self.

"It's been two months now, Freya." The tone of his voice sent me into a pit of deep despair and I wished for the bed to swallow me right there and then as I never wanted to hear Ernest upset or losing faith.

"They're thinking of switching you off." All I could hear were the shrill beeps of the heart rate monitor, slow and unsteady. It felt like I was falling over the edge of a waterfall, just a push from my friends and family would send me over the edge to certain death. Hot tears welled up, although he wouldn't see them. I couldn't tell them that I was fine; I was going strong and would come out of it eventually. It's like you're screaming and no-one can hear. No-one will ever understand how much it hurt to know that everyone you love had given up on you.

"But I know that you're still in there, somewhere," Ernest grabbed hold of my hand tightly. "And... I've read somewhere that you can still hear what I'm saying," he paused for a second before carrying on. "Freya, please give me a sign of sorts that shows that you can hear me."

After a few minutes of nothing I heard my best friends sigh in despair and knew in that moment that he'd given up on me. The grip on my hand slackened a bit.

"There's another visitor here for you, Freya," I heard Sarah's voice sing into the silence. Had she been here all along? Two sets of quiet footsteps approached my bed and I heard one crouch down beside me.

"Hi Freya," I recognised the man's voice from somewhere but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "It's us. Remember?" _Nope_.

"You remember Hitler?" A female voice piped up, one from the south. _But no, I don't remember Hitler, unless you mean the guy who exterminated millions of Jews and other ethnic minorities, then yes but I've never met him and never intend to meet him, unless to shove a custard pie in his face... _

And suddenly it exploded in my head like a... an explosion? I remembered everything and everyone: the Doctor and Donna, that custard pie, Hitler's face, the time machine... It all zoomed around my head until I couldn't take it anymore. And that was the moment I shot up in bed.

"Oh, my gosh!" Ernest yelled and flung himself on me in glee and buried me in one of his amazing bear hugs. I could feel his tears on my neck as I tried to think of something smart to say.

"And you were thinking of turning me off!" I said, tears of joy streaming down my own face. Even after five minutes he didn't let go but finally I managed to shrug him off, feeling as though I'd just run a marathon. I looked around, hoping to see the elusive Doctor and Donna but they had disappeared.

"Where are the Doctor and Donna?" I asked, already knowing the answer. It was obvious; they'd gone back to their travelling.

"Who? Those weirdo's?" Ernest asked. "I didn't see them go... didn't say thank you." He hugged me again, unaware that he was invading my personal space multiple times. After a few minutes I was swarmed with people hugging me and kissing me and showing me the presents that they'd brought me out of the kindness of their own heart and how lovely it is to see me awake and looking healthy and how much they've missed me throughout the time I'd 'been on an adventure'.

Through it all I glanced between Ernest, who had the largest grin on his face out of all people, and Sarah, who was smiling through her tears. She looked exactly like I thought she would. Amidst the fuss and bother there were only three people who knew exactly who had woke me up and no-one else even asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Guys, I'm really sorry for not updating as often as I should (okay, it's been over two months) but I'll try to write more often! Thank you for the reviews - you're so lovely! So, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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It was a crisp January morning and Ernest and I had decided to go on a walk for a bit of fresh air. The doctor - not the Time-and-Space-Travelling Doctor but the Medical Doctor - had told me to get as much exercise as possible so that I could fully recover and get back to normal (as normal as it could be with Ernest as your best friend, anyway...). A white blanket of snow covered the earth for as far as the eye could see, apart from two pairs of black footprints which we'd trailed behind us like a path of breadcrumbs from the fairytale Hansel and Gretel. It felt sort of magical to be on our own in a wondrous landscape, the snow seemingly smothering our every word.

"How come you knew the names of those two strangers who woke you up?" Ernest asked innocently, but I could tell that it had probably been playing on his mind since the second he woke up this morning. "I'd never seen them before and I'm pretty sure I know all of your friends." It was weird, but true; he did know all of my friends. For some reason though I didn't want him knowing about the strange people that I met. I felt somewhat protective over them; as if they were a secret that I had to keep otherwise the magic would be lost.

"Who?" I said, trying to be as casual as possible.

"Those people who woke you up."

"Ernest, you're being silly; you're the one that woke me up."

"You must have been hit really hard on the head if you can't remember. There was a tall skinny bloke with spiky hair in a suit and a red-haired woman who sounded Southern. They're hard to forget, Freya."

"I'm not stupid; you were the one who woke me up. You told me something about turning the machine that kept me alive off and I wanted so much to tell you I was okay that I woke up. I know what I woke up for, mate."

Ernest was getting more and more agitated by the second. I knew he knew that I was lying but he couldn't bring himself to say it. His red cheeks got even redder as he tried to argue his case; he'd never give up. Never ever. And it was excruciatingly annoying- kind of like a yapping puppy trying to get its treat.

"And I was the one who was awake at that point." He sighed heavily, turned to look me straight in the eye and said, "you're lying aren't you?"

His brown eyes bore into me. I couldn't lie to my best friend. Okay, I just had but I couldn't keep it up for long.

"Okay, okay, I was lying!" I blurted. I'd never been very good at keeping pretences for long, especially with him. He laughed and, just to be more annoying, he blew his dragon-like billowing breath onto my glasses so that they steamed up.

"I like the past tense there," he smiled as I wiped my lenses clean. "So, back to the original question, who were they?"

"It's a really long story," I said, still trying to get out of telling him. He sighed heavily and for a minute all you could hear was the crunch as we ploughed on through the deep, even snow. As we arrived in the play area, cold gust of wind showered wispy clouds of snow powder onto our faces and the gate before us swung open miraculously.

"Ladies first," Ernest gestured. I looked at him long and hard. He was attempting to cajole me into telling him the truth, which was unnecessary as I wasn't about to tell him.

"Age before beauty," I smirked; I would not give in to his silly flattery, he would have to wait for the full story. We wandered towards the swings and, as I sat gingerly on one, the creaks seemed to echo around the whole neighbourhood, sparking a giggle from Ernest.

I stared at the skeletal climbing frame as more flakes of snow drifted to land on it. Ernest sat next to me, an equally loud creak escaping from underneath him as well. My gaze shifted to look upon him, waiting patiently for his next move. But he didn't say anything.

"Ernest?"

Nothing.

I shook his shoulder, saying his name again, but he just stared at some imaginary place in the distance, a cloudy look appearing in his unblinking eyes.

"Are you alright?" I said. No response, nothing.

I checked his pulse: it was still going, but his skin was freezing cold.

I was starting to get worried now.

"If this is a joke, Ernest, then it's really not funny." I tried my most serious voice, but nothing could snap him out of this trance.

"Okay, I'll tell you who they were-"

I was cut off by a robotic whirring noise and the snow seemed to swirl around one spot- the top of the children's slide. Slowly, something seemed to be appearing out of thin air and it was a shape I recognised – the blue box that I'd been in before. I turned to look at Ernest just as it materialised and by now he was fully out of his weird state.

"What. The. Hell. Is. That?" he whispered, a grin appearing on his lips.

The door opened suddenly to reveal the Time-And-Space-Travelling Doctor and the Southern, flame-haired woman, Donna.

"Hey, look where we are!" the Doctor laughed out loud. "At the top of a slide! I've always wanted to do this." He stepped forward and slid rapidly down the slide, screaming at the top of his lungs as he hurtled in dizzying circles to the bottom, "weeeeee!"

Donna stared in horror for a minute at the Doctor's childishness but, for the sake of YOLO (I use this term sarcastically, please remember), she took off as well, until they were both in a heap at the bottom of the slide in fits of laughter, snow falling steadily on top of them.

I creaked off the swing and made my way slowly towards them. "Doctor, Donna? What are you doing here?" They immediately looked up and Donna's mouth dropped open.

"It's you! Freya, was it? It's been so long, how are you?" The Doctor came over to shake me very warmly by the hand.

"Actually, it's been, like, a few weeks since you came to the hospital, sir. And by the way, thanks for waking me up," I said, trying to be polite in front of people I'd had dreams about since my Awakening.

"Well, time flies when you're having fun, eh Donna?" She nodded enthusiastically and smiled to herself.

"You really were a doctor then, weren't you?" she whispered in his ear.

"I suppose I was," he grinned as he turned his gaze to me. "And no need to call me sir, Freya. Now, who's this boy you have with you? In fact, I already know don't I?" And he winked at me. Luckily, Ernest didn't seem to see so I rolled my eyes.

Meanwhile, Ernest seemed completely fine with the fact that this box had just appeared out of thin air and two slightly eccentric people had popped out of it. He strolled straight up to the Doctor and shook him by the hand, "I must congratulate you on that magic trick, it was most impressive, but you must have used lots of mirrors and other devices to perform it, may I?" The Doctor stared at him, stunned.

"There isn't any trickery involved, Ernest."

"Woah, how d'you know my name? Who even are you?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Donna."

"Doctor? Doctor what?"

"If you must, people normally say 'doctor who' but as you please. And it's just the Doctor." He seemed a bit miffed at that.

"Just go with it," Donna whispered to my best friend, nudging the Doctor painfully in the ribs.

I wandered up to the blue box and stood on tip-toes, tracing where I had before, along the wooden rim, until I found the spare key again. "You little minx..." the Doctor started, before being elbowed again in the stomach by the fiery Donna. The key wandered it's way to the lock where it paused of a moment before looking back for permission. Donna nodded encouragingly whilst the Doctor looked more and more annoyed. I inserted the key and turned it carefully, hearing the clicked and shoving the door opend with my shoulder. The orange glow flooded the area around me as I stood on the doorstep, gesturing for Ernest to follow. He looked a bit apprehensive but now a queue was forming to get in.

"Ladies first," he said unsteadily.

I grinned, "Age before beauty," and shoved him in. I stepped in behind him and the Doctor and Donna followed. Oh, if you could have seen his face!


End file.
